


The Semi-Complete Documentation of the Nine Months Adrien Agreste Spent Abroad

by LadyConstellation



Series: AU Yeah August 2020 [9]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste Has a Sweet Tooth, Adrien Agreste Is Sunshine, Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng Fluff, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Anyways ignore me going on a rant about Marinette's cat in the tags, But I didn't want him to feel excluded so, F/M, He's not that important, His name is Chat Noir, I'm fine guys, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug Has a Different Hairstyle, Not sleep-deprived at all, Year Abroad, also a cat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:41:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25843000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyConstellation/pseuds/LadyConstellation
Summary: August Ninth Prompt: UniversityWhen Adrien's father forces him to travel to France for a year abroad, he is very much not enthused. That is, until he meets the charming local who helps run the bakery a block from his housing. (And who speaks his language thank god)
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: AU Yeah August 2020 [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1862911
Comments: 2
Kudos: 100





	The Semi-Complete Documentation of the Nine Months Adrien Agreste Spent Abroad

Month 1: 

Adrien would like to state that this was very much _not_ his idea. But, when your incredibly strict father insists you go on a year abroad to Paris,– _“After all, Adrien,” He’d said stiffly, “You’ll be running the branch there,”_ – you can’t really disagree. This was, of course, why he was now boarding the seven-hour flight that would take him from New York to Paris.

Obviously, it wasn’t enough that Adrien had enrolled in business school like his father wanted, maintaining straight A’s while modeling on the side, and had agreed to eventually take over the business. Gabriel Agreste just had to send his son overseas for a whole year. And, to top the whole thing off, Adrien barely knew French. All in all, this year was not going to be the best of his life. 

The stewardess nodded politely and flashed him a blinding smile as he stepped aboard, “Enjoy your flight,” 

“Thank you,” He murmured back, wondering how someone could possibly be so cheery at four in the morning.

He quickly found his seat and put his headphones in to discourage people from talking to him– don’t get him wrong, he really liked most people, but four a.m. was not a time for socializing in his book. Four a.m was for sleeping and absolutely nothing else, although he had come to see that for some insane reason, not everyone agreed with him. 

Especially not the baby who was seated two rows behind him. The poor thing started wailing as soon as take-off occurred, and Adrien desperately wished that he was back in his apartment at home, and not on this godforsaken plane with a crying baby. 

Eventually, the infant stopped wailing, due to the incessant shushing and cooing from the parents, and Adrien was permitted to fall into a fitful sleep.

* * *

“Attention, all passengers,” The overhead speakers announced, “We have now reached our destination and will be beginning our descent momentarily.” 

Adrien sighed, stretching out his legs and looking out the window as the plane descended over Paris. He had to admit, the view was beautiful– almost worth the awful flight. Not quite though. 

Once the plane had rolled to a complete stop, Adrien practically rushed off, only barely remembering to grab his bags from the overhead compartments. Once at the baggage claim, he scanned the crowd of people waiting and spotted the professional looking man holding a card that read ‘Agreste’. 

The man simply nodded at him, jerking head toward the awaiting car. Adrien sighed in relief. He was ready to get to the hotel and crash on his bed after this. 

As the car pulled to stop outside the building, Adrien was quickly checked into the hotel– Le Grand Paris– and just as he was about to crash on his bed, he saw the large pile of folders already stacked on it. Doing a quick scan of the papers, he came to a horrifying conclusion. _Homework_. They’d given him _homework_. 

That’s it, he was going to die. 

It was official, Adrien Agreste hated Paris.

  
Month 2:

Okay, maybe Adrien didn’t hate Paris as much as he originally had claimed. Honestly, the classes weren’t that bad, and despite him not being able to understand most of the locals most of them had been very kind. 

Well, except for that one blonde girl who seemed to live at Le Grand Paris, too. She hadn’t been that great until she realized that Adrien Agreste was Gabriel Agreste’s son, and then she was perfectly nice. Adrien hated it when people did that. 

He did miss his coffee, though. Adrien had grown very accustomed to his Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, and he’d gone a month without any coffee at all. Despite how he’d heard other American’s describe French coffee, he was going to have to buy some soon or he’d be extremely sleep-deprived. And nobody wanted to see sleep-deprived Adrien; he was not a lot of fun.

That was when he realized that there was a bakery not far from the hotel. Surely their coffee would be sweet, Adrien reasoned, it _was_ a bakery after all. 

He walked through the door, immediately inhaling the sweet smell. Spotting the croissants in the display, he made his way over. 

“Err, _bonjour_ ,” He said, smiling awkwardly at the woman manning the counter. She seemed about his age– early twenties. 

“So, you’re from America, right?” She responded in perfect English. 

Adrien blinked slowly in surprise, “Uh, yeah. You speak English?” 

“Yeah. We get a lot of American tourists, so it’s pretty helpful to be able to speak it.” She said, moving around the countertop to rearrange and polish things, “So, what can I get for you today?” 

“A croissant and cup of coffee?” 

She– Marinette, Adrien corrected as he saw her nametag– nodded, “We can do that.”

“Thanks,” He said, sitting down at one of the tables. 

She quickly delivered the two items to his table, and Adrien grabbed the coffee quickly, taking a large sip. 

He immediately regretted that decision.

“Oh my god,” he coughed, “Why is it so bitter?” 

Marinette’s brow furrowed in confusion, “You just asked for a regular coffee. That’s how everyone in Paris serves them.” 

“What about sugar?” Adrien asked.

She shrugged, “We can add some if you want, but if you order a regular it’s going to be like– what do you call it? An espresso,” 

“Okay, well in that case, can I have some sugar, please?” 

She sent him a cheerful smile, “Of course,” 

Yeah, Adrien thought to himself as he drank his now sweet(ish) coffee, maybe Paris isn’t too bad after all. 

Even if it does have weird coffee.

  
  


Month 4:

After another month, Adrien had finally managed to select an order of real Parisian coffee that didn’t make him want to gargle sugar water afterward, which he counted as a win. Okay, maybe he was being a little melodramatic, but still. 

He and Marinette had been hanging nearly every day after his classes, where she always had a croissant and sweetened coffee waiting for him at the bakery. Apparently her parents actually owned the place and she lived in an apartment upstairs. 

“So, how are classes going?” She asked on a particularly slow day as she sat down across from him. 

Adrien shrugged, “They’re fine, I guess. I’m not actually particularly interested in business, though. It was just what my dad wanted me to do.” 

“I get it,” Marinette smiled sadly, “I always wanted to be a fashion designer. After high school, I applied to a couple of schools but…” She sighed, “I couldn’t scrape together enough money to go without a scholarship, which I didn’t get. So here I am,”

“Do you ever think about what life would have been like?” He asked cautiously. 

She nodded, “All the time. But, in the end, I can’t change what happened. Plus of all the places to work, a bakery isn’t that bad.” 

_ Meow. _

Adrien’s head snapped up, “Did you hear that?” 

Marinette’s face took on a panicked expression as she turned behind her to see a black cat sitting on top of the register. “Chat Noir!” She exclaimed, “What are you doing down here?” 

He raised an eyebrow at her as she scooped the kitten up, who gave a reproachful meow in response. “Your cat, I’m guessing,” 

“Yeah,” She answered, holding the cat up so he was eye level with her, “Although he’s not supposed to go into the bakery, are you Chaton?” 

_ Meow.  _

“Wait,” Adrien said, “Did you call him Chat Noir? You named your black cat ‘black cat’?” 

Marinette flushed red, “No! Well, yes, that’s his name but I didn’t name him.” 

“He’s your cat,” 

“I know,” She sighed, “But this little girl I used to babysit, Manon, called him that, and now it’s the only thing he’ll respond to.” 

Adrien glanced curiously at the cat– he was certainly cute with fluffy black fur and bright green eyes as he batted at Marinette’s customary ponytail, “He’s cute,” 

Chat Noir narrowed his eyes at him. 

_ Meow.  _

Marinette nodded proudly, “My parents were pretty hesitant about letting me get him, but once we agreed he’d stay in the living quarters they were okay with it.” She glanced around as if remembering that they were in the bakery. “Speaking of that, I should probably bring him back upstairs. 

“Alright,” Adrien smiled, watching as the cat stared at him over Marinette’s shoulder until they were out of sight. 

Month 6:

When Adrien asked Marinette to go out on a date with him, he really wasn’t expecting her to say yes. 

This was why he was currently staring at her with his mouth gaping open like an absolute idiot. 

“Are you okay, Adrien?” Marinette asked nervously, waving her hand in front of his face. 

“Mmhmm,” He hummed in a much higher pitch than normal, “I’m doing fine. Great, actually. “Anyways, are you free on, like, Saturday? Cause I don’t have classes, obviously, because it’s the weekend, but yeah, are you free then?” 

She nodded, “Yeah,” 

“Alright, great!” Adrien started backing up toward the door, “I’ll see you then at like, noon? Yeah?” 

Marinette giggled as she waved at him, “Sounds good, Adrien.” 

He sighed when he finally got back to his room, nearly collapsing on his bed. It was then that he realized that he was going to have to plan a date in a city he’d been in for a half a year for a girl who'd been there all his life. 

This was, perhaps, not one of his best ideas. 

He pulled out his computer, quickly typing in popular date spots in Paris before vetoing that idea entirely. If they were so popular, Marinette might view it as cliche, right? Adrien didn’t want her to think he hadn’t put any effort into it. 

Would she want to go to the Louvre? Probably not, because she would have seen it a thousand times already. 

Lunch at a fancy restaurant? No, that would be ridiculous for a first date, Adrien reasoned. 

He tilted his head, a meal wasn’t a bad idea though. Maybe an afternoon picnic along the Seine? That would work. 

* * *

Unless you forget to bring food. Then it doesn’t work so well. 

Luckily Marinette, who Adrien was quickly coming to realize was much smarter than him, had brought her own food from the bakery. 

“It was supposed to just be a little surprise,” She giggled as she pulled them out of a bag. 

Adrien sighed in relief, “And instead it saved our entire date,” 

Marinette shrugged, “I bet it would have been fun either way.” 

“You would have had fun on a lunch date with no food?” 

She giggled as she leaned against his side, staring out at the Seine, “Well when you put it like that, probably not. But if you never told me it was supposed to be a lunch date, it wouldn’t have been a problem,” 

He watched a younger couple a few feet away from them shrieking and throwing food at each other, “You’ve got a point. But I am not that smart under pressure. Yet another reason why going into business is a horrible idea for me.” 

“So you’re expecting me to be the brains of the relationship,” Marinette giggled.

Adrien grinned down at her, kissing the top of her head, “Exactly.” 

  
  


Month 8:

Despite how unexcited Adrien had been to go abroad, he was even less excited at the prospect of him leaving in less than two months. 

“I’m not gonna lie,” Marinette said softly as they sat on her couch, “I almost forgot you were going to have to leave.” 

Adrien sighed, “Me too. I don’t know what I’m gonna do.” 

“Well, your father did say you would be running the branch here, right?” 

He frowned, looking down at the half-eaten croissant on his plate, “Yeah, but in a few years, Mari.  _ Years _ . And I mean, I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to go long distance for years.” 

“I don’t either,” She sighed, “But I don’t want to lose you entirely, either. What if you came back for another year abroad next year? Then it’s only three months,” 

“In the same place? I don’t think father or my university would go for it,” 

Marinette pouted as she scooped up Chat Noir, placing him gently between the two of them, “This just isn’t fair. I wish there was something we could do,” 

Adrien sighed. When he’d asked Marinette out on a date two months ago, he definitely hadn’t remembered that he’d have to leave Paris eventually. Now that his flight back to New York was fast approaching, the two had realized they would soon be on separate continents. 

“I’m sorry, Marinette. I wish I didn’t have to leave you.” 

She sighed, kissing his cheek, “It’s okay. Whatever happens, I’m sure we’ll figure it out.”

Adrien grinned at her, “Well if you’re sure,”

“I’m sure,”

  
  


Month 9:

Adrien’s plane was boarding in less than an hour and he still hadn’t packed, nor was he planning to. He was currently sitting on the floor of Marinette’s living room, playing with Chat Noir. 

His return flight had been booked for the early hours of the morning, so Marinette was still soundly sleeping. She had invited him to spend his last night in Paris with her, and not to bother with waking her when he was leaving. Not that he ever actually intended on catching that flight. 

This past month, he’d thought long and hard about going back to New York. He knew his father had intended for Adrien to study directly under him for a few years before moving to Paris to manage the company there, but Adrien knew he was perfectly capable of doing so now. 

Picking up his phone, he put in her father’s number, knowing that back in New York his father would be about ready for bed. 

“Adrien, what on earth is the meaning of this? Shouldn’t you be getting ready to go through security?” 

Adrien, whose filter had vanished due to the fact that it was 2 a.m., snorted, “Yeah well that’s probably what I would be doing if I was at the airport. However, I’m not, because I’m going to be staying in Paris,” 

“What are you talking about?” 

“Well, I’m going to stay in Paris and start working at the branch here instead of going back to New York. That’s pretty straightforward right?” Adrien said, storking Chat’s head absentmindedly. 

He heard Gabriel sigh on the other side of the line, “Fine. I’ll alert the manager.” 

Adrien grinned, “Alright, thanks, father! Bye,” 

“Wait but–” 

He hung up the phone and fell asleep right there on the floor, only to wake up to Marinette staring at him incredulously. 

“Didn’t you have a flight to catch a few hours ago,” 

Adrien nodded in confirmation, “Yeah, but I skipped it because I’m staying in Paris.” 

Marinette gasped, grinning at him before pulling him into a kiss. 

Paris, Adrien decided, was a very nice place to be as long as Marinette was there. 


End file.
